Pete Thamel claims Lane Kiffin has a 'very strong candidacy' for Florida coaching job

Pete Thamel believes the Florida job might be Lane Kiffin’s if he wants it. Speaking on ESPN’s College GameDay podcast, Thamel made the case for the Ole Miss head coach, while also acknowledging the polarizing nature that has followed Kiffin throughout his career.
“I would say this about Lane Kiffin’s candidacy at Florida — I think it’s a very strong candidacy,” Thamel stated. “I think whether it be administratively in the president’s office, or whether it be in the athletics office, Kiffin is a divisive guy. The performance is the performance, but Kiffin constantly instigates brushfires, right? He’s done it for 20 years.
“In fact, he really became an instigator by just hammering Urban Meyer when he was at Tennessee. You remember this? There was a famous signing day where he said Meyer broke the rules. Now, Lane has calmed down. He does yoga. But you are never going to be uniformly aligned with Lane Kiffin if you’re an administration, because there is difficulty that comes with him.
“I think Lane’s a great coach and he’s grown and matured from what we’ve seen. I do think it would be fun to see him at Florida because he would bring back that maverick kind of style that [Steve] Spurrier brought with his famous quips.”
Alas, Thamel is a believer in Florida and Kiffin being a match, and so is his co-host in Rece Davis. He recognizes Kiffin is one of the more compelling figures in college football, and he believes the Rebels leader would be a fascinating fit in Gainesville..
“I don’t care if he’s at Ole Miss, Florida, or South Louisiana Mudhogs — whatever the name of that Bobby Boucher team was,” Davis added. “He comes on the show and he’s hilarious. I mean, him pointing out people in roads up above the spot where they were staying, talking about how Nick [Saban] would get upset if this were happening.
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“He brings attention, he’s fun, he’s smart, he’s a terrific coach. I understand why anybody would want him as a coach. And I understand why Ole Miss will do everything it can to keep him. I understand both decisions. If he has the decision to make, I would understand staying and becoming a legend at Ole Miss, and I would understand taking a shot at Florida.”
All told, Kiffin has had immense success at Ole Miss. Last season, his team was on the verge of making the College Football Playoff, but ironically a late-November loss at Florida ultimately doomed the Rebels’ postseason hopes.
Still, Kiffin guided Ole Miss to a 10-3 record. It was the program’s third 10-win season in the past four years, a feat not accomplished since legendary coach Johnny Vaught roamed the sidelines in the early 1960s.
Moving forward, Ole Miss now turns its focus to a road trip at No. 14 Oklahoma (6-1, 2-1 SEC) next week in what will likely be the Rebels’ final ranked matchup of the regular season. That includes a Week 12 home game versus unranked Florida (3-4, 2-2 SEC) on Nov. 15, a game that could add even more intrigue if speculation surrounding Kiffin’s future continues to build.